Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Saltwater-Estuary » Winter Bream on Jerkbaits

Winter Bream on Jerkbaits

By Michael Wright

With winter in full swing yellowfin bream are in their spawning pattern along the east coast of Australia. It's also a time of year that the estuaries are naturally experiencing an influx of baitfish, that primarily consist of pilchards, anchovy, whitebait and other smaller fish species. Large schools of these smaller fish swim along the coastline, sticking close to the beaches, attempting to avoid larger predators along their journey. These larger predators, for example tailor, jewfish and sharks, receive their sustenance from these bait balls. These larger fish push these little guys into the estuaries, where they find themselves yet again getting smashed by tailor, trevally, bream and other predators. Bream are renowned for picking up the pieces, however they can turn from scavenger to hunter in the flick of a switch.

Match the Hatch

There is no better profile plastic than a jerkbait for effectively imitating a baitfish and the ZMan 3.75" StreakZ is a near perfect replica, with a seductive, finesse tail that fish can't resist. The plastic also has a belly cavity, which lends itself to a wide gap hook for a snagless presentation. ZMan produces some very natural baitfish colours, including Opening Night, Pearl, Smelt, Shiner and Baby Bass, along with every bream angler's favourite, Motor Oil. Some people may like the more vibrant colours, however personally I stick to the more neutral, natural tones. This choice of colours is perfect for southeast Queensland fishing during winter as our water clarity is gin clear and this usually coincides with bright, clear-skied winter days.

To jazz things up a bit, I like a touch of glitter or fleck in the plastic to reflect the sunlight. The glitter becomes a strike trigger, representing little scales on the baitfish. The ZMan StreakZ is made from ElaZtech and this gives the plastic a beautiful, soft feeling, resulting in the fish holding onto them for longer. As tailor also pop up into the estuaries, the ZMan 10X Tough plastic will last a lot longer... especially if these toothy critters show up to feed.

The StreakZ belly cavity is convenient for loading full of Pro-Cure scent. I tend to lean toward Mullet or Sardine/ Pilchard flavours in the Super Gel, to match the smell of the baitfish. The purpose of the entire presentation is to represent a dying or injured baitfish. During winter we encounter plagues of bream, with most fish sized around 26-28cm. Upsizing the lure from the go-to GrubZ, to a larger profile plastic, can be the trigger to landing the thumper fish in the 30cm plus range.

Fishing with a Jerk

I fish the Jerk bait with a whip style retrieve. To keep things simple:

• Step 1 - Make the cast.
• Step 2 - Allow the soft plastic to sink to the desired depth.
• Step 3 - Use a very short, sharp, upward lift of the rod to whip the line off the surface.
• Step 4 - Wind up the slack line.
• Step 5 - Repeat steps 2 - 4.

This imitates a baitfish in distress and sometimes I will mix it up by adding two whips, before I let the plastic rest on the bottom. When using this style of retrieve, Step 4 is the most essential as most fish will hit the soft plastic on the fall. Additionally, if you fail to reel up the slack then you'll likely experience painful wind knots. The jerkbait is a versatile bait that can be fished in every layer of the water column. For winter bream it will be in the lower half of the water column and so all what's needed is to match the plastic up with a perfectly suited jighead.

Jighead Selection

Tackle Tactics design and manufacture the most comprehensive range of jigheads on the market today. The combination of the StreakZ and a TT Lures Headlockz Finesse jighead is essential for bream around rock walls and rock bars, in water depths from 2-5 metres. It's chemically sharpened, black nickel, fine wire hook is perfect for pinning the hard mouths of bream. The sizes that I generally use are 1/16oz, 1/12oz and 1/8oz on a size 1 hook. I adjust my chosen weight, so as to cater for varying winds, tide and depth.

When fishing the bottom, I will pair a 1/8oz with the StreakZ as the natural buoyancy of the plastic sees the tail still standing up to replicate a baitfish feeding along the bottom. My alternate jighead is the TT Lures HWS (Hidden Weight System), whereby the weight of the jighead is hidden inside the body of the plastic. This is the ultimate stealthy presentation. The descent of the plastic bait will be different to that of one rigged on a traditional jighead, representing more of an injury stricken or dying baitfish. Sinking a little more horizontally, this makes for the perfect skipping jighead, allowing you to skip the plastic in under docks or boat hulls. Hang on! The sizes and weights that I like to use include a 1/16oz and 1/12oz size 1 jighead. This is an awesome soft plastic presentation, especially for those finicky and spooky bream.

Rods, Reel, Lines & Leaders

My choice of rod for soft plastic bream fishing is the Okuma Helios SX HSX-S-702ML 7' 2-4kg spin rod. This is an exceptional spinning rod and voted as such as an industry award winning rod in recent years. This rod has many winning features, including a 30T Toray blank and quality 316 SS SeaGuide angled guides with high quality, strong inserts designed for fishing with braided lines. These speciality features reduce line twist and make for a powerful rod that's still ultrasensitive, light weight and easy to cast for many hours.

The Okuma Ceymar 25 spinning reel compliments the Helios SX rod for jerkbaiting bream, offering solid construction and a nice smooth drag. It also picks up the line relatively quickly, after the whipping action of the retrieve. Braided line is really important for this style of fishing as you want zero stretch when setting the hook. Also, you need the sensitivity to relay those timid bites on the drop (sink). I use 6-8lb braided line and a good rod length of fluorocarbon leader. When fishing clear water, I run 4-6lb leader and in discoloured water I find it okay to step up to 6-8lb.

That's a Wrap

Overall, I believe that the jerkbait is an essential plastic style to utilise for winter bream fishing. Its versatility, variations in colour, stealth and profile allow one to fish it at any depth, while the fish respond aggressively to this plastic. They can also be rigged in a multitude of ways, so it's up to the individual angler how they want to present the lure to the fish. I hope this helps you to sort out the chaff from the wheat and you land a few of those cracking blue nosed winter bream on the StreakZ.

5 Pro Tips:

1. Use a sensitive 7'0" med/fast taper rod.

2. Always be vigilant when taking up any slack line.

3. Choose the colour, jighead and leader weight to suit your water conditions. Fish in clear water can spook easily, so use some stealth and remember that you may have to go light to get the bite.

4. Keep a close eye on your line on the drop (sink) for any ticks or a rapid descent, that may indicate a bite or run. A brightly coloured braid helps to pick up bite detection.

5. Scent, scent, scent. People can argue the point, however there is no doubt in my mind that adding scent helps to get a bite. In this case I recommend Pro-Cure Pilchard/Sardine or Mullet Super Gel and this stuff sticks like... well you know.

Tight Lines, Michael Wright

Gearing Up:

Okuma Helios SX Spin Rods - HSX-S-702ML 7'0" 2-4kg
Okuma Ceymar Spin Reels - C-25
Platypus Braid - 6-8lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 4-8lb
ZMan 3.75" StreakZ
TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse Jigheads - 1/16oz - 1/8oz #1
TT Lures HWS (Hidden Weight System) Jigheads - 1/16oz - 1/12oz #1
Pro-Cure Mullet Super Gel Scent
Pro-Cure Pilchard Super Gel Scent